Sacramento County Drops Ban On Residential Roosters

(AP) - Sacramento County supervisors have dropped a plan to ban roosters and other noisy birds from residential areas after complaints from residents.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the board voted 4-1 to revoke a temporary ban on "crowing fowl," which includes roosters, geese, quacking ducks and guinea fowl, in unincorporated parts of the county with residential zoning.

The planned ban was supposed to address complaints from residents about noise form the birds, but many told the board their fowl are like pets, and banning them is an affront to rural lifestyles. Some residents broke down into tears imagining giving up their birds.

The county already has an ordinance that says such birds can only be kept on properties larger than 10,000 square feet. Officials say the county received 93 fowl-related complaints last year.